The Prince on the Island
by Melissa Waters
Summary: What if the pirates attacked, with Jaron still on the ship? Thought to be dead, Jaron finds himself stranded on an island, inhabited by a tribe, with a single other survivor. Will the tribe accept them, or throw them back into the sea to be devoured by vicious creatures? At home, the royal family struggles with the loss of a family member. Will they ever be reunited?
1. The Attack

_What if the porthole in the ship Jaron was sent away on was too small, and he couldn't escape? What if the pirates attacked, with the prince still on the ship? Stranded on an island, with a single other survivor, Jaron finds himself in the home of a tribe. Will they accept them, or throw them back into the sea to be devoured by vicious creatures? At home, the royal family struggles with the loss of a family member, but will they be reunited once more?_

I couldn't help but be impressed by the ship, as I stepped out of the carriage. It was a galleon, made out of wood, slightly over a hundred yards. Four long masts sprouted up from the deck, reaching up towards the sky as if wishing to fly away.

I was escorted up a ramp and onto the ship, past men carrying barrels and sacks of materials I had no interest of knowing about. Other sailors were tightening ropes, and mopping the planks. I suspected there were about fifteen but knew more there must be more underneath the highest deck.

Once I was on the ship, I ran to the railing and gazed out upon the port of Avenia. It had taken us about a day to arrive at Isel, and a day before that to journey to Libeth where we spent a night, resting the horses. My bed had been quite uncomfortable, at least compared to the thick, soft mattress I was used to. I hoped the service on the ship was better. Although, I didn't plan on staying very long.

Making use of my acting skills, I clenched my stomach and grimaced. One of the sailors walked over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. I whimpered, and lifted my hand up to my head, as if dizzy.

" I... I think I'm seasick," I mumbled, making the man look puzzled.

" But Your Highness, we haven't even left port!" he exclaimed and I glared at him.

" What's your name? " I asked coldly, and the man told it was Talon. I continued with a threatening tone. "Well, Talon, if you prefer I let my breakfast on you than in a bucket, be my guest and keep talking." To make my point, I dry heaved, putting my hand in front of my mouth. Horrified, the sailor hurried off to get me a bucket and some medicine. When he returned, he placed the bucket in my hands, while he lead me down some steps onto lower decks. After walking for a while, we came to a door, with a golden brim.

Talom pushed the door open, and I nearly sighed in relief. I had suspected my living quarters to be more uncomfortable, so the contents behind the door took me by surprise. A room, nearly as fine as mine at the castle, opened up in front of me. A wooden desk sat on the opposite side, overlooking a small porthole. A large bed was located on my right, while a closet sat in the corner near the door. I immediately flopped down on my bed and told the man to leave. I ordered him to tell everyone, that I was not to be disturbed, or I would puke over anyone who dared enter through the door.

I counted to three hundred after the man left, with agonizing slowness. I did so just to be sure, he wouldn't return. I didn't think he would, but I decided not to take a chance.

I stuck the medicine for seasickness into my pocket – once I got back on shore, I was sure I could sell it for a good amount of money to give me a headstart in my new life. The only thing now was to sneak away.

I set my crown on the desk and climbed on top. I reached for the porthole and found myself surprised how easy it was to open. I knew already then, that I would not fit, but I wasn't the kind to just give up. Instead, I stuck, my head out of the hole – something I found relatively easy, and then with my legs tried to push myself through. Ten seconds hadn't passed until I realized I would have to try it another way. Sticking my hands before my head, I managed to move about an inch farther from where I had gotten before, but my shoulders got stuck on the other side.

I tried to wiggle with all my might, making sure not to make too much noise, with the fear of somebody on deck hearing, but my efforts were in vain. I could not get out.

" Well, there goes that plan. I guess it's time for plan B." I muttered. There was only one problem.

I hadn't thought of a plan B.

Mentally smacking myself in the face, while sitting down on my bed, I tried to think of other options. I couldn't leave the ship across the ramp, nobody would believe me that it was only to go get a fluffy toy for the night, and besides, even if they did, believe me, they would send someone to get the toy. Someone, who was not me.

I couldn't jump overboard, for not only did I have absolutely no chance of getting away, I would probably be confined to my room for the rest of the trip. Which, in a way, I already was. If I left my room now, the sailors would call off my bluff. There was too much of a risk of being seen.

I couldn't get off the ship.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

I woke up to the sound of thunder, and the shouting of men. My eyes were heavy, as I had only slept for a few hours at most. The storm currently raging outside had begun a few hours after we pulled out of the docks, beginning with dark clouds, strong winds, and high waves.

I had put on my face of seasickness and rushed up to deck to whine about the weather. The captain had assured me that it would pass soon, and not even grow strong enough to be called a storm. He had suggested that I get some sleep, telling me that it might help my stomach.

So, like a good little prince, I had retreated to my room, trying not to stumble too much on the rocking ship. I had promised myself, that I would stay awake, but surprisingly, I had fallen asleep quite quickly.

My dream had been rather good, so when I woke up I was grumpy as a boar, that had missed its breakfast. I tried pulling my blanket around myself, in an attempt to go back to sleep, but the sea had different plans.

A wave hit the bow of the ship, sending me tumbling onto the floor, my head bumping onto the closet door. I sat up, grumbling a curse at the devils while rubbing the back of my head. I was not happy.

I began rising onto my feet, when another wave hit the boat, now from the right side. But instead of sending the boat rocking to the left, the force sent it flying into another wave. The impact shuddered through the whole boat, and I fell flat onto my bottom.

I grabbed my crown from atop the desk and placed it on my head. My hair was messy and tangled from the short moment of peace that I had gotten from the storm. I hadn't changed my clothes, only taken my boots off, so I pulled them back on, before stomping out of the door, and heading towards the deck.

I was in no hurry... until I heard the swords clashing. What I had before mistaken for the men screaming orders was actually them screaming in pain, and horror. I hadn't taken my sword with me on this trip, so I was unarmed when I peeked out from the trapdoor at the top of the stairs that lead to the deck.

Men, who belonged to my ship, all of them Carthyan, were fighting against men dressed in dark colors. Blades of different kinds slashed and cut. Some were ragged, some sharp, some curved. Long, short, medium. Steel, iron, bronze, silver.

I shifted my eyes, trying not to focus on the men falling one by one, with their chests or throats slashed, and instead focused on the monstrous vessel attached to the side of the boat, with thick ropes. Whoever was attacking the boat must have come from that ship. Black sails blew in the strong wind so hard, that I wondered how they hadn't already been ripped off the masts. On top of the highest mast, a large flag moved, a skull with bones crossed behind it imprinted on the fabric.

I was just about to return down the stairs to find a weapon when a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed me by the collar. I was wrenched through the small gap, scraping my leg in the process, and lifted up into the air, so that my feet hang a foot in the air.

I gazed into my captor's ice cold and emotionless eyes. Dirty, black hair hung low to his shoulders, looking like it hadn't been washed in years. A loose shirt hung outside his belt, making him look even skinnier than he must have been.

I gritted my teeth at him, grabbed his arm, and kicked him in the stomach. I might have been small, but I was not weak. Something my father never realized, I thought grimly, as the man staggered back, releasing his grip on my shirt.

I used the moment to get a better grip on his arm, I ran behind him and did a complicated move. The result was not pretty. A large crack filled my ears, as the shoulder popped out of place, and the bones snapped. The man fell to his knees grasping the injured hand. I picked up the sword he had dropped; a double-sided blade and plunged it into his back, and through his chest. The man as dead before he hit the deck.

At first, I was in shock. I had never killed anyone before. And if you didn't count the time I had injured the King of Mendenwall, I hadn't conflicted other wounds in that matter. But I quickly shook those thoughts out of my mind. These men were here to kill me and my men. I was _supposed_ to fight back.

I glanced around for weapons suitable for someone my age and size, but to no avail. All I saw was my men dying, being struck down by these strange men. Murderers. _Pirates_.

A sound of footsteps rang from behind me, and I twirled around, lifting the sword, just in time to block a blow that another pirate sent towards me.

His face was long, his skin droopy. Green eyes glared at me evilly. As our swords clashed. He looked at me up and down, and his eyes widened with recognition.

" Aye, Devlin! Captain, I found 'im! It's the prince!"

Heads turned around to look at me, belonging to pirates and Carthyans. Their eyes widened and most began shouting my name. The pirates shouted it triumphally, while the Carthyans hollered it in horror.

" Corlor, you can injure him, but don't kill! Leave him to me!" A voice rang out, but I couldn't see who had spoken. The voice was deep and had a dangerous tint in it. I couldn't help but shiver at the strong Avenian accent, and nearly missed the sword that was heading towards my feet. I leaped into the air, and the blade flew millimeters from where my legs had been only moments ago.

As a counterstrike, I swung my sword in a wide arc towards his side, which Corlor brought his sword to stop the blow. At the last moment, I did a complicated move with my wrist, diverting the blow elsewhere, and my sword connected with his neck, slicing straight through.

I turned my head to escape the gruesome scene but still heard his head fall to the ground with a thud. I grasped the sword in my hand harder, thankful for all the hours I had trained with a sword back in Drylliad. Sword fighting was more like an instinct than a hobby to me.

As I searched for an opponent or a man in big trouble, pain exploded on my left arm, and I hollered out, twisting around. This time, I was faced by a monster of a man, who stood a good foot taller than me. His face was covered with an evil smile that matched his eyes. In his hand, he held a wicked curved sword, and in the other a dagger that shone red with crimson.

I couldn't help but feel intimidated by him. A leather robe covered his body, and a dark red shirt could be seen under it – although I didn't know if the actual color was red, or if it was just the result of his opponents failing to fight against him.

What could a boy of ten years do against such a brute? Sure, I was trained with a sword, but not nearly as well as him, that was for sure. So what could I do?

As I searched around for something that might help me, I said: " I would rather not fight you."

The man sneered. " Scared?" His voice boomed with power, and I recognized as the one who had ordered Corlor not to kill me. He must be Captain Devlin!

I shook my head, and out of the corner of my eye, saw a barrel full of fish, that the sailors had loaded onto the ship before our departure.

" What, me? Scared? No! I just thought that an old man like you might want to have a chance at living another day."

Devlin dove forward, slashing his sword with unimaginable force and skill, and it cut through my left thigh, even though I jumped away to avoid it. I ran to the barrel, limping, and the Captain followed me. He moved slowly, like a hunter stalking on its prey. He moved with ease, which made my hair stand up on my neck, but I didn't let my fear show. I had an image to uphold!

As Devlin moved closer, I lifted up my slightly-too-heavy sword, acting like it was heavier than it really was. I had to make myself look weak so that at the last moment I could use the skill that my opponent didn't think I had. But the Captain saw right through my bluff.

" I can see you have more skill, that you let on, boy. Don't try to act otherwise."

I scoffed, and backed a step, letting my right side become slightly vulnerable. I needed him closer to the barrel. Which he did. He was only about a pace away, and about to sprint around to catch me, when I sprang forward, and kicked the barrel with all my might, sending pain through my left leg.

The barrel tipped, and dozens of fish or all kind, slid onto the floor, making it slippery with slime. Devlin seemed surprised, and as he started forward, he slipped on a salmon and fell onto his bottom. A grumble rose from deep in his throat as he jumped up, and with surprising agility, jumped over the barrel only a foot away from me.

" Men! Get to the Prince! Protect him! " I heard Talon's scream faintly, and out of the corner of my eye saw him, wounded across the shoulder and leg, trying to fight his way to me, like many others.

Devlin used the slight distraction to his advantage and slashed his dagger towards my neck. I raised my sword to block it, but then realized it was a fake. How could I have fallen for it?

The man changed the direction of the blade, and it cut into my stomach, slicing all the way across. I gasped and nearly dropped my sword. My right hand flew to the wound, while with my other I deflected another blow, this one sent to my chest. I heard my men shout with fear, as they saw my injury, but they were all pushed back by the pirates. It came clear to me then. I was the reason they were here. And they were here to kill me.

I felt wet gathering around my right hand and pulsing through the slits between my fingers. The wound wasn't small, but it wasn't life-threatening either; unless it got infected, and it wasn't cared for.

I fought a wave of nausea and backed away from the slashing blades, that Devlin was using to attack me with. My vision was beginning to fade slightly, my eyes sight slightly disoriented. I deflected the bigger strokes, but some passed my defenses, and soon I was covered with cuts and bruises.

At one moment, I made a single mistake of diverting my eyes to the battle raging on around me, and Devlin pushed me to the ground. Even though I didn't have lots of time to look around me, I found that most of my men were down, and only about fifteen remained from the fourty that had boarded from the port in Avenia.

Most were tied with ropes, though some were still fighting. I wasn't sure why they weren't being killed, and although I probably should have been happy that they were still alive, I couldn't help but fear that there was something worse planned for them. Worse than death.

As I stumbled to the ground, my sword clattered out of my hand, and the one belonging to Devlin appeared at my throat. I immediately froze, deep inside not wanting to die this young.

" Finally, I have you, young Prince. I was sent to murder you, and I get paid for it. " I felt a cold hand clutch my heart, even though the news was no surprise to me. But the Captain wasn't finished yet. " I was sent to murder you. But I'm going to make sure your death is long and painful. " And with that, he spun his sword in his hand and bashed the hilt onto my head. One thought rang clearly and true through my head, before I hit the ground, out cold. This was not going to end well.

 **I hope to update as soon as possible after every chapter, but if I do not update, please remind me, or give me ideas for another chapter. I appreciate those ideas, and they truly help me to create new chapters. Who knows, maybe the next time you check in, your idea is there for everyone to read. If you do not wish me to tell that it's your idea, just tell it in the review, if you do give me one. If you do not tell that you don't want your name on it, your name will be in the 'thank you section' of the next chapter.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and all support is appreciated. If some part was unclear, please notify me, and I will try to make it more understandable.**

 **\- Melissa Waters**


	2. Grip of the Sea

When I awoke, I was tied to a post. My head throbbed like I had been run over by a mountain, and the wound across my stomach was pure agony. My head was hanging near my chest, my hands tied behind my back. Without opening my eyes, I tried to figure out what was going on.

My mind was fuzzy, and a high ringing filled my ears. I could barely hear the thunder in the sky, but I knew the storm wasn't slowing down, due to the waves that rocked the ship with immense force.

I slowly moved my hands, which were tied together by the wrists with a rope. The rope was tight but big enough for me to get my fingers around, and begin opening the knots. My arms throbbed, and I could barely feel my fingers – the result of having my circulation cut off for a long time.

How long had I been out? Fifteen minutes? An hour? Two? More?

As the ship rocked again, I moved my legs slightly, to make it look like they moved with the ship. I realized that they weren't tied, but I did feel another rope that spread across my chest and continued somewhere to the left and right. I suspected that the remaining crew was tied to other masts with the same kind of rope, awaiting their fate.

Slowly, I gained my strength, although the blood I had lost form my numerous wounds made me feel slightly light-headed. I wondered that if I ever made it out of this mess, would I survive the loss, or was the injury too great.

My hearing was returning as well, and I could make out the Carthyans speaking to the pirates, commanding them to let me go. I couldn't make out much, but I could hear that they were tired and worried. I heard somebody wheezing next to me, and felt a tinge of sadness, imagining a sailor, his throat cut, but still alive, gasping for air.

I heard footsteps approaching and immediately stopped moving. I had only one knot left on the rope, and it was already quite loose. If I could gather enough strength, I could probably rip the knot open.

I slumped against the post as the ship tipped sideways, but was taken by surprise as my cheek received a furious backhand. My eyes shot open, and I glared at the man who had hit me.

The pirate's face was round and fat, his black curly hair reaching just below his ears. He looked a few hundred pounds overweight, which was enough to make me wonder how the ship hadn't sunken under his weight.

A curved blade swung from his hip, and a knife was situated in a sheath on his chest. His face spread into a smile when he saw I was awake. I saw a few teeth missing, but the ones I saw were brown and chipped. His breath smelled like rotten fish, and I just barely held back a gag.

" He's awake, Cap." the Fat Man said, and I straightened my back, not seeing why I had to act like I was unconscious anymore. I also used the move to loosen the rope, and now it was loose enough for me to just pull my hands out.

But I decided to keep my hands still tied, for I couldn't get out of the rope that was around my torso. The knot wasn't even near me, and to open it, I would have had to reveal that I had gotten out of my previous bonds.

I stared defiantly in front of me, at the raging sea, as Devlin walked from the other side of the mast, his shoulder bandaged with care. I wondered how he had gotten the injury, and I couldn't help but wish the wound had been just a little to the right, across his throat. That would have been nice.

Devlin stopped only a little distance away and stared at me with the intensity of the storm raging about. The glare bore into me, but I acted like I didn't even see him. It was only when Devlin leaned his head mere inches from mine, that I shifted my calm gaze onto him.

I lifted my eyebrow, and asked: " Did you have something to say?"

Devlin sneered and tilted his head to the side. I was not one to like being tied up so I said: "Keep tilting your head, and one day it might fall off. It probably would now if it wasn't attached to your body. " Devlin slapped me smartly across the cheek and my head flew to one side. I churned my teeth together and closed my eyes for a moment. Tears threatened to fill my eyes out of instinct, but I pushed them back. I opened my eyes and stared at the Captain.

He opened his mouth to say something, and I used the moment to spit in. Devlin stumbled back, wiping his mouth. I smiled victoriously, but the victory was short-lived.

Devlin made a sign with his hand, and two pirates grabbed me, and somehow managed to get the rope from around my chest. They seemed unprepared, so I used the moment to rip my bonds open and punch one of the pirates square in the nose, and the other I kicked where it hurt most.

My crew gasped with astonishment, and a few even cheered. But those cheers died down as I was grabbed, and forced onto my knees. I released a few good blows, but most of them did little harm since I couldn't hit hard in fear of opening my wound even further than what it was already was. I could barely draw back my arm or foot without passing out from pain. My thigh had stopped bleeding but was still raw, and the cuts I had gathered, were stinging like bees.

On the ground, my hands were kept behind my back with a hard grip from the Fat Man. I made sure that I struggled and cursed his mother's grave numerous times. He wasn't very thankful for it and made sure I knew. My already sore hands ached even more, and I winced at the strong hold.

Devlin lowered himself so that our eyes were on the same level.

" Finally realizing that you're supposed to kneel to me?" I asked mockingly, and I saw that he just barely resisted another blow. Taking a deep breath, Devlin motioned for someone behind me, that was not Fat Man, and I heard footsteps receding. I lifted my chin and made sure to keep my eyes on Devlin's. The pirate seemed furious about my little scene with his followers, but he kept his anger in check. When the person he had sent away returned, Devlin smiled his signature evil smile.

" Tie him up," he told the person I couldn't see. I felt a weight on my hands, and a coarse rope was tied around my wrists once more. This time the rope was tied more securely before, which wasn't very good for me if I wanted to escape again. I was hauled to my feet by Fat Man, and I stumbled backward with a sudden weight that pulled me down. I was tied to a cannonball.

I suspected what was going to happen, and the thought made my blood run cold. I was pushed towards the side of the boat, where two pirates, both covered in bandages and stitches, were placing down a plank, that went a few meters outside the boat, hovering over the raging sea.

As I was pushed onto the plank, my men screamed with horror and pleaded for Devlin to let me go; to let me live. Instead, the pirate captain put his hand onto my back, and pushed me forward, not so gently.

The ship rocked, and I gazed down at the waver. Measuring from one to ten meters high, the waver looked like monsters, reaching up from the sea, opening their mouths to swallow the ship, but at the last moment, they would crash back down, only to rise up again for another try.

I barely kept my balance, as the ship heaved, and even slipped slightly as Devlin spun me around at the end of the plank. He stared at me with a look of victory, his chin lifted high. I lifted my own, barely controlling my breathing. I could see my reflection in Devlin's eyes, as a lightning flashed behind me, hitting the water only thirty meters away. I refused to flinch.

" Any last words, Prince?" Devlin asked, ignoring the shouts that ran from behind him.

" There are many things that I wish to say, but none of them will be my last. I will not die here. So I will say this. When you die, and I hope you do soon, you will end up in a place, that will make the home of the devils look like paradise."

Devlin grabbed the front of my shirt, took off my crown and brought his face mere inches from my own, and whispered: " Perhaps. But you will reach it far before I do."

And with that, he pushed me over the edge, and I was engulfed by darkness.

I couldn't see the surface by the time I got the first knot open. I could have been five meters under, I could have been fifty. The water was so dark, so murky, that I suspected that I couldn't have seen the ship if I was a foot below it.

The knots were tight, and the water made them slippery. My chest burned, and my head felt like it was about to pop. But I refused to breathe in. I was not going to die here, not today. Not with the last thing I said to my mother, having been said in anger. Not with never having said a proper goodbye to my father. Not with never thanking my brother for always being there, no matter for what reasons.

I struggled to get my fingers around the next knot, but after a few moments of struggle, I finally loosened it enough to pull it open. One knot remained.

The canon ball sank faster than I expected, and I was starting to feel pressure on my chest, not from the loss of oxygen, but the pressure of water itself. As the pressure became unbearable, I finished opening the final knot.

I didn't see the difference in keeping my eyes open since the water was so dark, so I kept them closed. Besides, the salt water prickled them. I had gotten used to the pain on y stomach, as the salt made its way into my wounds. I wasn't sure if the pain was dull, or if I was just losing consciousness.

I kicked with all my might, my arms flailing as if I were a bird flying for the first time. I surfaced sometime later, wondering how I had managed to stay alive. I was about sixty meters away from the pirate ship, gulping for air, and coughing the water out of my mouth. I wasn't sure how I had gotten so far from the vessel, but my best bet was that the currents underwater had carried me away or the ship itself had moved with the wind and waves.

I could very faintly hear the cries of my crew, but couldn't make out what they were saying. That was when I noticed the pirates' ship's sails open, and it sent off with unimaginable speed, the large pieces of fabric on the masts puffed up in the storm.

I began swimming towards my escort ship when suddenly there was a nagging feeling in my gut, and I stopped. Only moments later, a bright flash filled the sky, not a lightning, but something larger. I dove as large pieces of wood flew across the sky, and the water turned an orange color. I tried to evade the sharp pieces of wood, as they sank all around me – ranging from the sizes of my thumb to the sizes of me standing up on my toes - but some of them hit me on all sides of my body, not quite piercing the skin, but creating large bruises.

After a moment, I was forced to resurface; since I hadn't had time to catch my breath for long when I came to the surface the first time.

When I came up, I found myself facing the open sea. At first, I thought I had surfaced the wrong around. Then I saw the wood, some still ablaze, and I finally realized what happened.

The pirates had set something in the ship on fire, and it had exploded. I immediately sent out towards the fire, to search for anyone who had survived. What could have caused the explosion? It couldn't have been a simple fire or a lightning strike. Neither would have caused an explosion. Besides, the pirates had gotten out of range just in time. That couldn't be a coincidence, could it? Oh, how I wish I had paid more attention to what they had been carrying aboard.

It took me a while to reach the remains of the ship, not only due to my weak state but also because of the enormous waves.

The water was full of ash, pieces of wood, burning sales, and bodies. Bodies of men who had fought the pirates, and bodies that had been blown up in the explosion.

I heard spluttering, and coughing from somewhere near, and immediately began my search. My limbs ached, and my eyes were sore, but I forced myself to keep moving. As I neared a place where a pile of wood had fallen on sails and rope, the coughing grew louder. I knew I was close, but in the vast sea, the noise carried farther than on land.

I swam to the pile of wood and began moving them from on top of each other. Some instinct told me to do so, and soon enough I saw a hand sticking out from under two large parts of a mast, that was still attached to the sail.

I didn't know what was keeping him nearly fully submerged, so I moved the wood that made it hard for him to get to the surface to breathe. Then I dove under him.

I found a rope still attached to the sail, wrapped around the man's leg. It was pulling him down as the sail sank; there were heavy pieces of something pulling it deeper. It was a lot harder to open a knot that wasn't done on purpose, than one that had. The rope was in loops around the man's leg, but the rope entwined with itself many times form various places, in a wild labyrinth that I could not navigate without seeing anything. Even I wasn't that skilled.

My hands rose up the man's leg, to his calf, where I found a sheath. I held back a sigh of relief as I felt a knife. As I pulled the blade out, I rose to take one big gulp of air, before diving back down under the surface.

My hands worked uncomfortably slow in the water and cut very little by the time, but finally, the rope snapped, and the man's leg was free.

I came up from the water to find the man had risen up onto the mast, clinging on like his life depended on it, which it did.

I grabbed onto the mast, just as a wave crashed onto me. I nearly lost my grip, but a firm hand grabbed my wrist and helped me climb onto the piece of wood. With both hands around the round post, I had a good hold, and there was little chance of me sliding off. Still, I squeezed it so hard that my fingers were beginning to gather black-and-blues.

I gazed into the eyes of the man I had saved. Well... eye.

The man had black hair with grey strands here and there. His beard was dripping with water and dirty with salt. His face looked droopy due to being submerged for so long, but the worst part was where his left eye had been. In its place, was a mess of red, solid and liquid. I decided not to look at it for long.

" Prince Jaron? You're alive! How? We watched you drown!" The man rasped, his throat making an awful noise. I recognized him as the captain, Forlor. I coughed and smiled.

" I guess there's one good thing about me being able to open knots. You okay?" I noticed, that the hard cover that I had held up to the world for years was cracking. Forlor nodded, and we quickly braced ourselves as another wave tried to rip us off the wood.

I spit out the water that had made its way into my mouth, and my eyes roamed the water, for other survivors, and after a moment I spotted a brown head bobbing up and down in the water. I told Forlor to wait on the piece of wood, and before he could argue, I pushed off the piece of wood and dove. I found that swimming under the water was a lot faster than trying to swim over the waves, and in only a few minutes I arrived at the place where I had seen the man before. Except he wasn't there.

I spun around, trying to find him when I noticed bubbles rising to the surface a few feet away. I swam under the water and kicked my legs with everything I had. The man was sinking quickly, and I could see his eyes lids closing. He was about a two meters away from me, when he went limp. I reached him moments later.

The moment we surfaced, I started speaking to him, telling him to wake up. I gently slapped his cheeks, saying that if he didn't wake up he would miss dinner. After repeating that same thing over and over again, his eyes shot open, and water exploded from his mouth. I felt glad I had paid attention in one of my classes at home, just before I had sent off on the ship.

I sighed in relief, as I dragged his weak form towards some nearby carnage. I draped his hands over a barrel and made sure he had a tight grip. Then I resumed my search for others. It seemed that I was the only one capable of the feat, although I was, without argument, the weakest of the men.

I found another man, and like with the others, I helped him to something that was floating, before moving to help somebody else.

Talon was the last person that I found. He was the farthest from where the ship had been before, and also the one in the best shape. He had cuts all over his body, and a long slash was on his forehead but wasn't bleeding anymore. He looked shocked when he saw me, but I shook my head telling him that now was not the moment for questions. The waves were getting higher and the thunder was becoming so loud that I had to fight the urge not to raise my hands to my ears.

I reached Talon just as a large wave overcame us. I felt a hand grab my forearm, as I was being swept away, and I felt a body next to mine. As Talon kept me from slipping away, I pulled him up towards the surface. He helped me, but right before we came out of the water, another wave crashed onto us. The force of it forced the air out of my lungs. As an instinct, I sucked in, and water filled my mouth.

My eyes widened, and I kicked toward the surface. There was no way of explaining what I felt. It was agony, torture and limitless discomfort. Talon seemed to have guessed what had happened, and swam below me and pushed me to the surface.

He came up beside me moments later, and by that time I had already coughed the water out of my lungs and was gulping for air. My head pounded, even though I hadn't had the water in me for long.

I had lost sight of the remaining survivors, and I wondered how far we had drifted with those waves. But I was sure, that if the men had been looking, they had seen what had happened. They had seen a large wave take us under, and see another one stop us from re-surfacing. We were far enough for none of them to see that we had survived.

It was a miracle when we found a piece of the hull, about two meters long and about a foot wide. We clung onto it on opposite sides, gripping on for our lives. I was exhausted, and out of breath. Rain poured all around us, thunder shook the sky and lightning lit up the clouds. Drops of all kind were sliding down my face, some of which I recognized as being ones I hadn't shed in a long time.


	3. Grief and Stories

The first thing, that I noticed when I woke up, was the sun. Bright, and hot, it filled my vision, as it shone down from the sky. Blue was seen from behind the small puffs of clouds - if you could call them that - as they slowly slid across the sky.

The air had a salty smell to it, as well as a sent of fresh air; one you might find in a forest.

My body was a heap of agony and numbness. My eyes stung when I opened them, feeling like someone had thrown sand into them and began rubbing it ferociously like one might a scratch a mosquito bite. I was laying on my back, and my hands gripped something solid beneath me. It felt soft but grainy. Was it too much to hope that I was on sand? On a beach?

I groaned as I tried to roll onto my side. A pounding headache appeared and I got an image that someone was banging a sledgehammer onto the inside of my skull. It was not a pretty image. Or a painless one.

My fist captured fine sand, and I felt its warmth, seeping through me. Yes. I was on a beach of some kind. I was on land. I was *alive*. A sob of relief escaped me, and my mouth spread into a large grin. I closed my eyes, not trying to stop the few tears of relief from sliding down my cheeks.

I opened my eyes after a while and took in details I hadn't noticed before.

A roof of green rose at the very top of my vision, and I had to arch my neck to see it better. Large leaves of different shades hung from branches that separated themselves from large trunks of trees. Bushes of different kinds littered the ground, and wildflowers I didn't recognize bloomed in their midst.

This wasn't Avenia. I had been forced to study its vegetation for some reason, and these plants were not some I recognized. Very few looked like anything I would. There wasn't a single oak, birch or maple tree. Not a single blueberry or strawberry bush. It was odd, to say the least.

I heard birds screeching above and noticed seagulls circling above, like vultures hunting their prey. I hadn't seen many seagulls in my life, only the ones that had been spending their time on the docks, ready to snatch up a fish from one of the shops in the market, when its owner wasn't looking.

I heard rustling behind me, in the trees. I immediately went limb and closed my eyes, following my instincts. I couldn't tell if whatever was approaching was big, or if it was just something small making a lot of noise, since, first off I wasn't an expert, and my head was still slightly foggy.

Something approached me on the beach, and I could swear my heart was pounding out of my chest. I could hear my blood rushing to my head, and I feared that whoever or whatever was on the beach with me could hear it too.

The something stopped only about a foot from me. I could hear it breathing, and strangely it sounded human.

"Mika kai cala? Kai kahte e ramake fo vikte?" a voice said. It was a man. I didn't' recognize the language if it even was one. To me, it just sounded like a bunch of sounds smashed together. I was so relieved that there were other humans than me, that I nearly opened my eyes there and then. But something told me not to do so, just yet.

"Mat dirr. Kathe kai jilc makathe," another voice answered. I forced my breath to stay slow, ignoring the pounding of my heart, as it became quicker. What were they talking about? Were there more men, than these two? Who were they?

"Mat dirr ethar. Dat kathe."

I felt strong hands suddenly grip my shoulders, and my eyes sprang open. Brown eyes peered down at me, from behind black eyebrows and dark skin. Sweat gleamed on the men's heads. Their hair was shaved, and there was only a long strip of black starting from the top of their heads and descending in a long braid down their back.

If the men were surprised that I was awake, they did not show it. The moment I tried to rip myself away from their grasp, one of them, grabbed my arms and locked them behind me as he rolled me over onto my stomach. The action earned an agonized shout from me, as well as a hard kick into the man's shin. He didn't even stagger.

My mouth was full of sand, and I turned my head to let myself breathe. I cursed at the men with a few words that would make my mother faint, and a few more that would make my grandmother roll in her grave. The men didn't seem fazed by that either.

The last thing that I remember before passing out was the strong hold that kept my hands behind me, and the fist that descended on my head.

Translation:

"Who is this? Is he a danger to us?"

"I don't know. He is just a boy."

"I don't know either. Take him."

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

It took the royal family little over a day to reach the Sailor's Inn in Avenia. Traveling in a carriage made for fast travel it took them a few hours less than it would for a normal carriage to cover the same distance. They had left Drylliad the minute they had received the message that Jaron's escort ship had been attacked by pirates. The letter had held no details about other survivors except the one who had crawled out of the sea earlier that day, pleading for the Avenians to send help.

The man had been treated, and a message had been sent to the royal family, requesting their presence. The minute the news had been received, both Eckbert and Erin, as well as their son Darius, had found themselves gasping with horror. The Avenian pirates were known for their ruthlessness, and lust for blood. No one had survived the pirates if they weren't meant to survive.

The Sailor's Inn was a small tavern only about half-a-mile from the sea. It was located in a street full of small shops and other taverns. It was one of the largest taverns in the city of Isel, yet compared to some of the taverns in Carthya, it was nothing more than a garbage can.

The Royals entered the tavern in disguises, even though it had been closed off for the night. Guards had been sent there in advance, and they were now situated all around the room, and in alleys around the radius of three hundred meters. No one would get close to the tavern without them knowing.

The tavern held a few small tables, with chairs. A staircase led upstairs where a number of rooms remained, free of their visitors who had been sent on their way only hours before, in advance to the arrival of all the important people.

A man sat on a chair that had been pushed near the fire. Dozens of blankets covered him, and still, the man shivered. Erin wondered if the shaking was a result of cold or if it was from fear and shock. The man had been recovered from the sea over a day ago, so she decided that he had caught a cold.

Letting her eyes wander around the tavern, Erin searched for any sign of her son, but there was met by nothing else but an empty room.

Eckbert walked swiftly to the man near the fire, and crouched down in front of him, his back to the fire. His brows were knit together with worry, as he too had noticed the absence of his son.

"Where is he?" he bellowed, his worry coming out as anger. The man - Erin recognized him as Forlor, the captain of the ship - flinched. "Where is my son?"

Rushing forward, Erin placed a hand on Forlor's shoulder and glared at her husband. "Calm down! He's been through a lot." Then, approaching more gently, Erin brushed the captain's cheek, gently as she would to a baby. She noticed a bandage covering one of his eyes and noted that it had a lot of blood on it. Ignoring the wound she asked, "Are you okay?"

Forlor lifted his tearful gaze to meet the Queen's. She knew immediately that something was wrong. Other than his ship being attacked by pirates, that was. The man swallowed a lump in his throat. He could barely look the Royals in the eye, and soon lowered his gaze and began talking.

"We were taken by surprise. The pirates came out of nowhere..." He continued to recollect the events of the attack. With every word, every sentence, Erin felt her horror grow, rising alongside her worry. When Forlor got to the part where Jaron had been caught by the first pirate that pulled him from the staircase, she let out a gasp. "He was amazing, Your Majesties. He didn't hesitate to protect himself, and the way he handled the sword, even though it was too heavy for him..." Forlor let a minute of silence pass. "He proved everything I ever heard of him wrong. He wasn't a foolish prince, who didn't care a Devil's inch about anyone else. He wasn't a reckless boy who didn't think risks through. He was a boy, who I would follow into battle any day. And I wouldn't hesitate to do it."

He then continued the story, going over from the part when the prince was knocked unconscious, to where he saved Forlor from the rope on the sail. "He saved my life. And he rushed in to help the others. Two men apart from me survived because of him. He helped them, brought them to something, that kept them afloat. But when he went to help Talon..." Forlor stayed silent, and Erin felt a cold hand clutch her heart. What had happened?

"He reached Talon, but... a large wave overtook them, and they went under. Just as they were about to surface, another one kept them below the water. They didn't come up."

Slowly, Erin sank to the ground, her hand raised to her mouth. Her navy blue gown gathered dirt from the floor, but she didn't notice. Nothing made sense anymore. Her son had gone under the water... and hadn't surfaced. That could only mean one thing. But she couldn't bring herself to say it or even think about it.

It was Eckbert who finally asked the question they had all been dreading to ask. "Is my son dead?" His voice came out strangled and was just above a whisper. Forlor lowered his gaze and silently nodded. Then he reached into his jacket, the one that was covered with all the blankets and pulled out something.

A golden crown.

"The pirates gave this to one of the other survivors before they left. He then gave it to me, just before the storm swept him away. Jaron... he would've wanted you to have it."

Gently, the captain placed the object into Eckbert's hands, and only moments later he stumbled to a chair and crashed into it. Darius, who had been standing frozen, staring at the fire during the whole story, finally turned around. Tears were sliding down his face, and his eyes betrayed every ounce of agony that he felt.

He walked over to his mother, encircling her in his strong arms. Eckbert moved in only moments later, and soon they were a mourning pile of royals, their sobs mixed together in one, sad symphony. No words could express the grief that flared in all of them, tearing them apart from the inside. They all blamed themselves; for sending Jaron away had been their idea, their responsibility.

The air was heavy with the sadness radiating from the family, not unlike the radiating heat from the fire. Erin stared at the flames, watching as they danced around each other to a rhythm that she couldn't hear. The only beat that was audible was the one her heart made, as it processed the loss. Every part of her body ached with longing to hold her son one last time. To see her baby boy laugh, to see him scowl in the way he always would when he was confused or angry.

See him grin at his father's displeasure as he did something Jaron-like; climbing the castle walls or setting the throne room on fire. The memories of her son's stunts made fresh sobs overcome her, and she leaned into her husband, weeping into his shirt. Salty drops slid down Eckbert's face dropping onto her forehead, sliding down into her eyes. They stung slightly. Was this the last feeling that Jaron had felt, as he sunk deeper into the blue? Did he see his life flashing by, in the wink of an eye? Did he see his family, did he regret anything? Was he too focused on getting to the surface for that?

Darius let himself slunk against her, and she brushed her fingers through his thick, dark hair, feeling as he shook violently against her. The poor boy had loved his brother so much, and it had torn him apart to have to see him leave for Bymar. He had been against it, from the very moment he was told of it, but hadn't dared argue other than voicing his opinion.

Jaron had been a handful for them, but he had been their hand full. _He_ r handful. And she had loved him for that. She had loved him for every perfect thing he had in him, and every imperfect thing. She had cherished him for his flaws, and accomplishments.

She had missed her son from the very moment he left Drylliad and looked forward to him returning in a few years, after being taught in the school in Bymar. But now, he was never coming back. Because of her mistake, he was never returning to the castle.

Because of her, Jaron was dead.


	4. Scared

*****This chapter is quite short, since I wanted to get something out there. As you can plainly see my promise of trying to update daily has not been very efficient, so I apologize for that. I have not given up on this story though, and during this period of time I haven't updated, ideas for the story have been swirling in my head, different scenarios and people. I will try to update whenever I can, but please forgive me if it takes a long while. Enjoy!*****

The rain was pouring down hard, soaking the ground wet and turning it muddy. Grey storm clouds drifted by in the sky and a strong wind pulled at the trees around the courtyard. Still, the clang of metal against metal rang through the air, clear and furious, continuing without a pause.

Darius hacked at the dummy in the yard, kept up with only a stick. HIs sword cut into he meaty sack with ferocity very few men could muster. His face was covered in a mixture of rain, sweat and tears, and his clothes stuck to his body, soaked form the falling water.

He had been training in the courtyard for days on end, barely stopping to rest or to eat. His father had tried to make him stop, but the prince had only shoved him off and told him to leave him alone.

He needed time alone, time to let all the sorrow out of his system. He needed to know that there was some way that he could get past the aching in his heart, hot as fire and sharp as a knife.

Heaving the sword into the air, Darius plunged it into the chest of the dummy, sliding straight through with deadly accuracy. If it were a real target, the sword would have pierced the heart of his opponent.

Yanking the sword out, Darius wiped his face with his free hand and moved his wet hair out of his eyes. His arms shook with fatigue, yet he refused to stop. He needed to be ready when he faced the men who had killed his brother. _Murdered_ his brother.

A sob escaped his lips as he thought of Jaron. His younger brother. Whom he had been supposed to protect.

They had returned from Isel a week ago, mourning for the loss of a family member. No tear had been left un-shed, and they were still coming in an unstoppable flow.

How could the world have been this cruel? How could it have taken his little brother, who still had a long life ahead of him? He was supposed to go on long adventures, he was supposed to find love, he was supposed to live long after Darius. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

The sword slipped out of his hands, and fell to the ground as he lifted his hands to his face, his shoulders shaking as sobs racked his body. His legs gave way from beneath him and the collapsed to the ground, squeezing his eyes shut against the flow of tears.

Darius had been alone many times. But he had never felt this lonely.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

My first impression of my kidnappers wasn't very good.

When I came to, my hands were tied behind my back with something that felt like rope, but was buch different, in a way. I was leaning against a tree, and my neck was cramping for being in the same position for too long.

I shifted my weight slightly and gasped from pain. A hot flash flared over my stomach where Devlin had cut me and my thigh wasn't faring any better. My whole body ached, but not nearly as much as I expected it to.

I opened my eyes, and was met by a strange sight. In front of me was a large open plain, surrounded by trees, taller than anything I had seen before. Some were the same height as the castle's towers and they all bloomed in different shades of green, with flowers protruding from their trunks and branches.

Some five meters away, was a small hut. Built a few feet above the ground, it was a round house with a high ceiling made out of straw, it's diameter approximately three meters. I couldn't be sure though, my point of view wasn't exactly preferable.

Similar huts were gathered around the edges of the open area, some in the middle, but you could clearly see paths running from one house to the other. I could see a large fireplace about ten meters from me with wooden logs around it. Men and women were sitting on the logs, speaking to each other in hushed tones. They were all dark skinned, like the men who had been on the beach earlier that… whenever it had been. I was tired of not knowing how long I had been unconscious.

The men wore simple skirts made of straw or cloth. A few had decorations on them, like feathers or what seemed to be dried up berries. Again, my perception wasn't the best. The women wore similar clothing, except all clothes were made of cloth; one worked as a cloth around their lower parts and another covered their breasts.

Necklaces hung from all of their necks, ranging from blue to yellow and from red to green. Some of the men wore tattoos and I saw that all the women had a similar tattoo across their cheek; a line with one dot on each end.

" **He's awake."** "Kathe kai eret," one of the men said suddenly and loudly, his eyes boring into me. The men around the fire leapt to their feet and grabbed spears from the ground - I hadn't noticed those before - before starting to run at me.

I tried to feel the rope around my wrists, searching for the knot, but it was beyond my reach. Besides, the texture of the rope was so smooth I wasn't sure I'd be able to open it without my fingers slipping repeatedly.

Fear clutched my heart as the men and women neared and I found myself trying to back away, pushing my feet against the ground, only to find the tree behind my keeping it's ground, not budging.

Within seconds about ten spears were pointed at my throat and chest and over twice as many eyes were boring into mine. It was intimidating, I have to say. I was terrified.

" **Who are you?"** "Mika tala tig?" one of them men asked. Not understanding, I stared at him with wide eyes.

The man was by far the most muscular man I had ever seen. His upper body looked like someone had stuffed a bunch of melons into his arms and chest, making the muscles bulge out of the skin and veins to stick out. His legs were similar, most likely filled with juicy apples and oranges.

" **You are our prisoner, boy! Silence won't help you."** "Tig tala vikter intigo, makathe! Silcan hagae uthla tig."

"I don't mean to be rude or anything," I growled, getting slightly annoyed by the amount of weapons threatening me," but I have no idea what you're saying and you probably don't understand a word _I'm_ saying, but would you please be polite enough to remove your spear from my throat so I can breathe?"

I was actually surprised about how many words I would muster out of my mouth since my throat felt like it was being squeezed into the size of a pea. The man didn't seem to get the point though and decided to push the spear even closer to my throat. My heart stopped beating for a moment as I felt the material pierce my skin. The man looked at me up and down for a minute, before finally pulling the spear away. The others followed his example.I would've sighed in relief, but I was still trying to figure out how to breathe again.

" **He doesn't speak our tongue. Bring Mirandae. She may understand his language. Bring the other one as well."** "Kathe gile salman vikter lisan. Kotae Mirandae. Gilde man kajatoliske kather lisan. Kotae nigh otha onu un ioyn," the man said to one of the women, and she rushed off with nothing more than a nod.

I was too terrified to do anything at the moment, and I was sitting frozen right where I was, but my mind was running overtime. Where was I? Who were these people? What did they want? Were they going to kill me? Did anyone survive to storm except me? I had been with Talon when the ship sank. Had he survived?

All the while, my fingers were working on the knots keeping me tied to the tree. So far, I had only managed to twist the ropes so that I could feel the knot. There was no progress on opening it and escaping.

A lump was jumping up and down in my throat. Would I ever see my family again? Did they know that I was alive? Probably not. Most likely they never would. To the rest of the world, Prince Jaron Artorius Eckbert the Third, had died in a pirate attack by pirates. They would never know that he was not only in fact alive, but very… very… scared.


	5. Alone

I nearly shouted in relief when I saw Talon. His brown hair was messy and covered in dirt, and his clothes were torn with large hole over one shoulder and a few slits over his chest. He was walking between two men, stumbling slightly. The cut on his head seemed to be healing; it had a scab on it and it wasn't even infected. I grinned at the way his eyes widened when he saw me.

"Your Highness! Thank the heavens you're okay!"

He was pushed to the ground next to me, shoved through the crowd of men and women. He gave me a bow of his head, which made me furrow my brows in curiosity. Even in this situation we were in, sitting in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of weapons headed our way, he still felt obligated to bow to me.

I opened my mouth to express my relief that he was alive when a _Clink_ , _clink_ , _clink_ filled the air. The woman was returning with another woman in her older years. She wore several layers of clothing, cloth, leaves, straw and a few furs. Bone necklaces hung from her neckline and bags hung from her waist and a orange ball crested the top of her walking stick. I realized it must be the town healer. A few of the people around us bowed their heads in acknowledgement and spoke her name. Mirandae.

She walked walked over to me and Talon, and gave us both a curious look. It wasn't cold like the ones the others had given us, but it wasn't exactly warm either. There was something upsetting about her, an aura of mystery and authority.

"Who are you and your purpose?" she asked in Carthyan. I was taken aback so much at the sudden change of language that my tongue was tied in about a hundred different kinds of knots. Thankfully the question seemed to have been directed at Talon, the adult one of us.

"I am Talon, son of Athorn, a sailor of the Blue Duchess. With me is Prince Jaron of Carthya, King Eckbert's second son," he began, shocked as well." Our ship was attacked by pirates and was blown up after a fight broke out aboard. We were stranded in the sea for days, barely staying awake without food or drinkable water. We need your help to get back home, like I have explained to the others who were watching me!"

The last part came out quite angry, which surprised me. No doubt he had been awake long before I was, tied similarly to a tree, not knowing whether he was the only one to survive or not. In my minds eye I could see Talon trying to tell his captors what had happened, but not getting them to understand.

"You, Talon," Mirandae said, pronouncing his name strangely,"speak the truth. Your words not changed since you awake. But the boy has not spoken."

Talon gave me a look that I couldn't quite understand. Mirandae walked closer to me and lowered herself closer to the ground, closer to me. She gazed into my eyes with a level stare. It took me a great amount of self control not to look away.

"I see great sorrow in you, boy. Hurt and pain, longing for acceptance. There is fear and anger, dispise. And very little love. Someone has hurt you. Who?"

I was silent. How could the woman know so much just by looking at me. A cold shiver ran down my back. I didn't answer. She asked again. "Who hurt you?"

I looked down to the ground. I felt Talon's eyes on me. I closed my eyes and my mind was suddenly filled by images of my father, his disapproving and angry face. I didn't answer.

Mirandae continued. "He has hurt you badly, but only in the mind. He has given you wounds that will never heal, I can see that. You carry pain much too large for someone your age."

I keep my eyes closed, but sense her rising.

" **They are both safe. They aren't a threat. Treat them with caution; they are scared. Welcome them."** "Khu tala makha fagah. Khu talae e rama. Koloena shile und onkaluhae; khu tala shucosh. Jukola shile."

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Mirandae left immediately after as did most of the others. Two men stayed behind to untie us, which I found quite odd. They then smiled at us as if nothing had happened, as if we hadn't just being tied up as their prisoners with spears and other sharp things pointed at us.

I sat there with Talon for a moment, neither of us knowing how to react. Finally, Talon moved closer to me.

"Your wounds seem to be bandaged up. Mine were too when I woke up. They seemed to have taken care of us when we were unconscious - whoever _they_ are," he said quietly. There was an awkward silence. "Who was she talking about? The woman. If you don't mind me asking-"

"I do mind you asking," I snapped, which was quite unfair. But I wasn't going to tell him my life surrows after knowing him for such a short time. Sure, we had been in a situation where we could have died and we were still in the middle of nowhere with people who didn't speak our language, but that didn't mean that i had to share my whole life story.

"Forgive me, Your Highness. I didn't mean to be rude."

I sighed and apologized. He forgave me.

I stood up shakily, placing my hand against the trunk. I felt something tight around my thigh and stomach, and looked down. I hadn't noticed them before, but around both wounds were leaves at least a foot long and half as wide. Wrapped tightly, both were covered in some sort of goo; a see-through substance with a green tint to it.

I noticed Talon had similar bandages on his arms and legs where he had cuts and bruises from the fight. He followed my gaze. "I think the villagers patched us up after they found us. I don't know what on Earth they did, but unless we've been asleep for a few weeks, then this mystery goo is some miracle substance."

I smiled, but it wasn't a big smile. My eyes roamed the huts in front of us. People walked up and down the streets with buckets and caskets on their heads, not minding us very much. I saw a few side glances from them, but nothing more.

I turned to look at the thick forest behind us. I could barely see five meters ahead, since the brush was so thick. I didn't know what would happen if we tried to escape. Would the villagers come after us? Would they kill us? Let us go? We wouldn't get very far before they caught us if they came after us, and we didn't have anything to help us survive either. With no knowledge about where we were, there was no point in trying to escape.

Suddenly there was a rustle in the leaves above us. My head snapped up at the same time as Talon's and I had just enough time to glimpse a dark figure in the branches above before it disappeared into the forest.

"Gati und ma. Fi'kai q'aritah fo hatu."

I could have sworn I jumped two meters into the air. Twirling around I saw a woman standing behind us. She looked to be in her thirties with her long black hair in braids down her back. She had large brown eyes. She waved her hand towards the huts where people were gathering. "Gati. Tuka."

I took it as an invitation to follow her. She turned around and started walking away. After glancing at each other, we followed. The woman led us to the others, who were sitting by an even bigger fire place in the middle of the huts about sixty yards from where we had been sitting. This time we got a bunch of curious glances, but they weren't from the adults, but the children. I was surprised how many there were. There at least a fifty adult villagers around the fire and at least thirty children ranging from the ages of newborn to seventeen or so.

One child, about four years old was standing next to his mother near the fire, but escaped her grasp and begun running towards us. Boy had his hair in a small braid along his back, much like the other men in the village, though most of the men had their in numerous braids.

The boy stopped in front of me and stared at me with large and curious eyes. He straightened his hands towards me. I didn't know what to do, but I could clearly see he wanted me to lift him.

I looked at the villagers who were all staring at me, watching what I would do. Some had their hands on their weapons, ready to attack if I did something wrong.

I didn't the only sensible thing possible. I put my arms around the boy's arms and hoisted him up. His mouth was hanging open as he stared into my eyes, seemingly curious about their color. He then touched my hair and my face, confused.

"What's he doing?" I asked Talon from the side of my mouth.

"I don't think light skin or eyes are common around here. Nor is brown hair," he replied.

"Then why didn't he come to you?" I hissed. I didn't like all the attention I was getting, especially when I knew that one wrong movement might get my head cut off.

"I'm a adult. I'm much larger. He probably feels safer going to another child than an adult."

I scoffed. The boy began squirming and I set him down. He rushed back to his mother who soothed down his hair. I noticed most of the others were smiling gently.

We were directed to sit next to Mirandae, who seemed to be the only one able to understand us. She nodded her greeting. We nodded back.

Next to Mirandae sat a young girl, slightly younger than me. She had brown hair which flowed freely down her back, both of which seemed odd compared to everyone else. But what captured my attention was her eyes. They were bright blue, but when I looked into them it was as if I was staring at a stormy sea. Memories flooded my mind and I looked away. A good thing I did, because she had noticed me staring and snapped:"What are you staring at?"

Once again, I was taken aback by someone speaking Carthyan. Sure, Mirandae was most likely the town mage and was expected to know different languages. But a girl who seemed not much older than me? Especially when no one else knew how to speak it, why did she know Carthyan.

"No-nothing," I said quickly and she frowned at me angrily. Unlike anyone else, she hadn't smiled once since we sat down. I decided I didn't like her.

Food was given out to everyone by two women; bowls of a soup of some kind, pieces of meat and lots of vegetables and grains. Cups made out of leaves were passed around, inside a sweet liquid that was watery, but thicker and sweeter.

Mirandae asked us lots of questions, and Talon answered to most of them. I stayed quiet for most of the time. A few times I had discreetly kicked Talon in the shin when he talked too much and he immediately stopped talking or finished the sentence with a "and that's about it" or a "I don't remember".

The girl was quiet as well and didn't seem to be at all curious about us or our pasts. She ate her food quietly staring into the fire. Some children ran up to her tugging her towards their game of Tag but she merely told them to leave her alone, which seemed to upset the children surprisingly much.

For each question asked from us, we asked at least two. We got lots of information about the village and its inhabitants. The village was located on an island. About ten kilometers in diameter, the island was covered in caves, hot springs and tunnels. A large, dormant volcano nose on the north side.

The villagers were in fact a tribe living by the southern part of the island. There nearly seventy of them and they had been living there for generations. I was a little confused about the traditions and rituals, since I had never seen anything like them in history books I had had to study.

With every detail about the island and their lives my heart sand lower into my stomach. We were on an island. Escape was not an option unless we had a ship or a boat of some kind. No maps that I had seen had a island like this in the Eranbole Sea. Which meant we could be anywhere beyond the borders of any map made. We might be in the uncharted territory with no way of knowing where home was!

I was surprised by the friendliness of the tribe. If I didn't know better I wouldn't never guessed they were the same people who had been pointing weapons at us.

Suddenly a thought popped into my mind and my hand flew to my throat. My fingers found nothing. I peeked into my shirt. Nothing. I leapt to my feet and grabbed the nearest person I could find.

"Where is it? Where's the necklace?" I screamed. The man I had grabbed looked surprised at my sudden outburst. I pushed him away, and he tumbled off the log. I looked around and screamed at the top of my lungs: "WHERE IS IT?"

"Your Highness what are you-" Talon began, but I didn't listen. I had to find it. I ran away from the fire towards the place where I had been tied. I fell to my knees on the ground and started digging up the dirt, throwing away leaves and rocks. Nothing.

I sighed in defeat, biting back tears. A hand came onto my shoulder. My head snapped around to find Mirandae standing behind me with Talon. In her hand was a string of leather and on it a seashell made out of silver.

She set it into my hand when I reached out for it and I brought it close to my chest.

"One of the children found necklace on the beach after you have been found."

I gave her a teary smile and nodded and thank you. I then pulled my knees up to my chest before leaning against the tree and closing my eyes.. I heard Mirandae leave from the noise her staff made on the ground. Talon hesitated for a while before leaving as well.

Slowly I put my finger to the clam, and pried it open. Immediately a soft melody began playing, sweet and sad. I bit my lip as I listened to it. It was a lullaby my mother would sing to me during stormy nights.

She had given this particular music box necklace to me as a gift on my tenth birthday so that I could listen to it when _she wasn't there_. She wasn't here now.

I was alone.


	6. The Funeral

The funeral went by past. The priest spoke. Rain poured down outside. Darius kept his eyes cast down.

People gathered onto the courtyard outside the chapel with candles, their heads bowed in respect of the lost prince.

Darius stood with his hands hanging loosely by his sides between his mother and father, not quite comprehending the words. Nobles spoke their words of mourning. He didn't want to hear them. He didn't want to believe them. They were all just lies anyway. Nobody really missed his brother. They hadn't even truly know him. _He_ hadn't known who Jaron truly was, so how dare they act like they had known him?

Darius knew he shouldn't be mad. The nobles were there for official purposes. They hadn't come because they cared about Jaron. They came because it would be a disgrace to their title if they didn't attend to the prince's funeral.

It couldn't really be called a funeral, Darius realized grimly. They didn't have Jaron's body. They had nothing to bury, except their memories. Memories, he didn't want to forget.

Standing by a altar covered in candles, Darius gazed at the painting mounted up on the easel next to the talking priest. It was a painting, painted a year or so ago. Jaron stood in front of the hedges in the royal garden, with a mischievous grin on his face, his eyes shining.

It hurt Darius, because he knew that the shine in his little brother's eyes was now gone. They were most likely staring at nothingness and the bottom of the sea, as his body slowly shifted away with the currents-

Darius shook his head to clear the image out of his mind. A lump rose in his throat and his eyes burned, but no tears came. Behind him, he heard murmuring. He turned his head slightly and caught some of the words.

"-glad the prince is gone. Now the king can focus on keeping the enemies away-"

"The prince was only a distraction-"

"The country is better off with him dead."

Fury burned Darius insides and he swirled around and faced the man who had spoke. There were two, sitting only two meters away, their heads close together as they whispered their opinions. Leaping forward, Darius raised his fist, and brought it against the nose of the man closest to him. There was a crack and blood sprouted from his face. A burning sensation exploded on Darius's fist, but that didn't stop him from introducing it to the other man as well.

Gasps errupted around the room, but they were lost in Darius's ears. All he saw, was red, from the blood or the anger he wasn't sure. He grabbed onto the clothes of the man he had punched first and spun him around against one of the pillars with a sickening crunch.

"How dare you speak of him like that?" he screamed and bashed the man against the wall again. "How dare you disrespect him? HOW DARE YOU?" Tears streamed down his face and he moved in to punch again, but strong hands appeared around him, holding his hands down and pulling him away. Darius thrashed and kicked, screamed at the guard that was holding him to let him go, but the grip stayed hard as he was dragged away from the chapel.

A voice was telling him to calm down, but he didn't listen. Finally, Darius twisted his body well enough to kick whoever was holding him in the knee and the leg buckled. Taking advantage of the moment, Darius released himself of the guards grip and ran back towards the chapel.

And then, suddenly, his mother was there. Standing in front of him, with tears in her blue eyes. Darius was about to push her out of his way, but stopped himself at the last minute. His mother looked so hreat broken, so fragile. He couldn't do that to her, no matter what. He tried to move past her, but she stepped in his way.

"Get out of my way," he growled. Erin flinched and he felt terrible. But the Queen did not move. Instead she lifted his hand to his cheek, and gazed into his eyes.

"Darius, please-"

"I said get out of my way!" Darius grabbed her wrist in a hard grip, making Erin cry out in pain. Darius froze. The anger diappeared immediately.. He let go of Erin's hand, horrified as he looked at the black and blue that was already forming. He took a horrified step back. "I'm sorry," he gasped, and tears spilled down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

Erin caught her son as he crumbled to the ground, and held him close as he broke down in tears.

"I'm so sorry!" he screamed, making her sob louder. She soothed his hair, much like she had when he was smaller.

Darius held his mother closely, sobbing louder than he had ever before. The pain in his chest grew, hot and burning. He missed his brother. Oh, how he missed Jaron. He missed the times when he would catch the young boy climbing the walls of the castle, missed the times he would run after his brother in the hallways, threatning to tickle him if he didn't stop.

He missed the times when he would tell tales to his brother as they lay on the bed, missed the times they would spar with swords. He missed the way Jaron's hair was tousled in the wind, they way he would give Darius a sidelong glance when he got the idea of doing something mischievous again.

Oh, how he missed his brother. Oh, how he missed Jaron.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Eckbert stood at the mouth of the chapel, staring at the sobbing forms of his son and wife. The image of his son's furious face as he _attacked_ two of the nobles sitting behind them was burned into his mind. The way his eyes had burned with hate, they way tears had spilled down onto his cheeks, they way he had screamed his words, the amount of pain he had expressed in them…

Eckbert turned away, guilt growing inside his chest. He had been the one to send Jaron away. He had been the one to descide that his country was more important than his son. He had been the one, who caused all this pain to his family. _He_ had killed his son. _He_ was the reason Jaron was dead. The very truth was killing him from the inside, destroying his soul.

He wouldn't stay in the chapel anymore. Slipping away from a back door, leaving the aoutraged nobles and confused priest behind, he headed for the castle. Kerwyn caught up with him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Eckbert-"

Twirling around Eckbert gazed the older man in the eyes.

"It's my fault, Kerwyn. I killed him. I killed Jaron." Kerwyn shook his head.

"No, you didn't."

"I killed him!" Eckbert screamed and turned away. "I killed Jaron. I killed my son…"

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''


	7. Not so quiet anymore

The next few days went fast. The tribe treated us well, giving us shelter in the small huts lining the village, and providing us with their strange food, much of which I was only able to swallow because I was hungry.

It was an odd feeling. Being hungry. I had never felt hungry at the castle, always able to simply ask for food when I wanted it. The servants always provided some. There were no servants here.

I sat next to Talon near the fire, a place which had become familiar to me. I found myself sitting by the fire most days, observing the people around me, noticing their every move. Talon stayed by my side, although I could see that he wanted to be exploring the new things around him.

It wasn't until the third day, that Mirandae came to us while we were sitting quietly near the fireplace with the girl I had seen on our first day.

"This is Talia," she said in her usual broken accent. The girl, Talia, stared at me with her brows scrunched, her mouth in a thin line. I had no idea what I had done to upset her, but I seemed to have. "We shall show you around the village. You should start to get to know the places if you are to prove yourself to be worthy of the tribe."

My eyes shot back to her. "What do you mean 'prove'?"

"If you are going to stay here, you must prove your worth in some way to the tribe," she replied incredulously.

"Hold on, we're not staying here. As soon as we get a ship of some kind on the water, we are sailing back to Carthya!" The girl rolled her eyes and scoffed. I glared at her.

Talon was nodding beside me. "We appreciate everything you've done for us in the last few days, but we must return home as fast as we can."

"Carthya is very far away," Mirandae said shaking her head. " Thousands of miles. We not know which direction. I tell you before."

I sighed. Indeed, she had told me before that Carthya was far away and there was no way we were going to be able to sail there without dying in a storm or from starvation or some other tragic accident. But I wasn't going to stay here without doing everything I could. I needed to get home, even if it killed me.

"I will not stop trying to search for a way out of here. I will make it back home. But until then it would be good to know where everything is." My voice was level but I felt a twinge in my heart. I missed home, my warm bed, the tasty dinners I was served whenever I wanted. I missed my family.

Mirandae nodded with a smile and nudged Talia towards me. I instantly regretted agreeing. She didn't seem any more pleased than I was. Crossing her arms, she glared at me. "Keep up with me. If you get lost, I won't come looking." And with that, she turned on her heel and trudged into the woods.

I stared after her, shocked about the way she had talked to me. I wasn't expecting it. Suddenly, I felt Mirandae's staff knock me on the head a few times and I flinched away. She motioned me to follow Talia. Talon shrugged at me as if saying: _Don't look at me, I don't understand girls any more than you do._ He then playfully shifted his eyebrows up and down.

I rolled my eyes and made a face at him, before jogging to catch up with Talia.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

We didn't talk much as we waded through the undergrowth. Talia moved with grace I would never have guessed possible, and I couldn't help but see the resemblance to a cat. She wasn't wearing any shoes, and her clothes - a top and a skirt - were made out of tight-fitting cloth and leaves. A Colorful, bead necklace fell down to her collarbone.

I struggled to keep up with her. I was athletic and nimble, but she was more than that. She moved as a part of the jungle, grabbing onto vines, leaping off tree trunks and rocks, while I fell down more than once, which earned an eye roll from her each time. I didn't find that very fair since I hadn't been the one who had grown up in an ancient village where shoes weren't even invented.

The silence was getting awkward by now, but we were both hardheaded and neither of us wanted to be the first one to break. I heard her mumble something under her breath, though it wasn't Carthyan, so I didn't understand it. It sounded like 'Makte Camalu' or something.

"What was that?" I hollered to her and climbed over a fallen tree. She turned back and glared at me for a while, before moving on, without answering. I sighed. "Look, I have no idea why you hate me, okay, but I can assure you that the feeling is mutual. Now, it looks like I'm going to be staying here for a while before I find a way off of this island, so if you really hate me that much, you could just find a way for me and Talon to leave this place."

Talia froze in her tracks and stared into the forest ahead of her. She turned around with the most furious look I'd seen on her so far. With a growl, she marched towards me, and I had to keep myself from taking a step back.

When she was only a few feet away, Talia brought back her arm and punched me right in the nose. The action took me by surprise, so I didn't have time to deflect the blow and I landed on my bum in the ground. Pain exploded over my face and instinctively tears rose in my eyes. I groaned and held my nose while releasing a set of colorful words at her.

Talia grabbed my shirt, and pulled me to my feet, spun me around and pushed me against a tree. The rough bark bit into my skin and I grimaced. Talia leaned close to my ear.

"I am not obliged to do anything for you, do you hear me? You may have been royalty in your country, but here, the others see you as equal! To me, you are little more than a rodent, that should be flushed out of the food storage! Do not dare to tell me to find a way for you to get off this island! We are not your slaves! You make an indication of that, and I will make you regret it!"

So far, the longest sentence I had heard from her was the one warning me to keep up with her. The sudden burst of words shocked me almost as much as the tree to my face.

I wasn't sure how to reply to what she had said, but she seemed to be waiting for a response because she pushed my face harder into the tree.

"Okay, I'm sorry!" I finally said, getting my mouth full of moss and bark. "I didn't mean to offend you!"

Talia seemed to think about the apology for a moment, then stepped away from me and let go of my head. I rubbed my face and plucked out a stray something out of my eye while glaring at her. She glared back.

After a while, we continued our trek through the wild, without another word or physical assault. By the time we returned to the village, night had fallen and torches had been lit all around the houses, and the villagers were gathered around the fires.

Talon seemed relieved to see me as if he had been worried that Talia might have led me to some secret place to have me killed. When I had left with her I would have doubted that. Now I wasn't so sure.

I walked out of the forest a few meters in front of Talia and immediately walked over to the young man. When I glance back to see where Talia went, she was already gone.


End file.
